


Let It Linger

by TelekineticIssue



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alcohol, F/F, Lin/Tenzin is mentioned briefly but is not a focus, Mutual Pining, Recreational Drug Use
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:27:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26532106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TelekineticIssue/pseuds/TelekineticIssue
Summary: Lin and Kya have been friends for as long as they can remember. A single night changes what they think they know about the other, and sends them on a decades-long journey in figuring out they’re in love, and probably have been the whole time.
Relationships: Lin Beifong/Kya II
Comments: 31
Kudos: 161





	1. Passenger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place pretty early. Lin’s 19. I headcanon Kya a little less than 4 years older than Lin, so she’s 22 nearing 23.

She was high.

Lin could see it on her face, hear it in the muttered apology as Kya shuffled awkwardly on her doorstep. The street beyond was mercifully empty.

“You had better come inside,” Lin finally said. Kya stepped over the threshold, closing the door softly behind her. Lin wrinkled her nose at the scent of smoke still clinging to Kya’s clothes. Spirits, what had she gotten into this time?

“Why are you here, Kya?”

“I don’t have anywhere else to go,” Kya said.

“Why not just go home?”

Kya shook her head. “I don’t want Dad to see me like this.”

“So you came to the chief of police’s daughter? Also a cop? Like I’m a better idea?”

“You’re off duty, and you know as well as I that your mom’s not coming home if she’s not here yet,” Kya said. Lin had no comeback for that. She hoped Kya wouldn’t comment on the fact she’d obviously been drinking, if the half-empty bottle of peach whiskey on the coffee table was anything to go by. It didn’t matter; her mother wouldn’t care even if she did find Lin passed out when she finally came home. She’d just leave her a glass of water and some pills to take the edge off the hangover. Her one repeat act of rebellion meant nothing. It was almost like Toph wanted her to try harder to piss her off.

“You can sleep here then,” Lin muttered, leading Kya down the hall to her room and resigning herself to sleeping on the couch for the night. Something in the gesture was familiar; just like countless sleepovers when they were younger. She was too damn soft on the waterbender. It was one of the few things that didn’t have some clear-cut blame or reason in her mind. Kya simply was easy to want to be kind to, not to mention the ease with which she could leave Lin a quivering mess. Maybe it was those soft blue eyes, or the way she let casual touches linger just a little too long. Lin wasn’t sure, nor did she know if she ever wanted to find out.

“Hey, no,” Lin said as Kya made to collapse in her bed. “Sorry, but you reek. Shower and change. I’ll wash your clothes and hang them so they’re clean in the morning.” Lin threw her a sleeveless gray shirt and a pair of soft shorts hastily pulled from her dresser. She tried to ignore the heat that rose in her cheeks when Kya turned and stripped unceremoniously, stepping out of the dress that pooled by her ankles and slipping out of her bra and underwear with just as much carelessness. Lin studiously averted her eyes.

“Thanks, Linny,” she called over her shoulder as she stepped across the hall.

“I told you to stop calling me that,” Lin protested, but the click of the bathroom door cut off any possible response from Kya. Scowling, Lin collected her clothes and threw them into the wash with a few of her own clothes. Then she remembered the booze sitting on the coffee table and hurried to put it away; it wasn’t that she was afraid of being caught, but rather leaving the den untidy would earn her some sharp words. The squeak of the faucet shutting off was her warning to get changed before Kya returned, and Lin hustled back into her room to slip into her own sleepwear. She sat on the edge of her bed, absentmindedly playing with a loose string on the hem of her sweatpants. Kya appeared some moments later, and Lin’s eyebrows shot up at how short her shorts were on the taller woman. Her tank top hugged Kya’s figure, leaving little to the imagination, though she knew her own fit similarly if the ogling she got during training meant anything.

“If your eyes get any wider, your eyebrows will fly off your face.” Kya flashed her a foxy, openmouthed grin. Lin schooled her features into something approaching neutral.

“I’ll be up for a bit longer. Gotta pull the laundry out. Go to sleep.”

“Don’t mind if I do.” Kya crawled over her, kicking down the covers to snuggle in. “It’s so soft,” Kya sighed when she was thoroughly nested in. Lin grumbled an agreement; she’d slept on the slabs Aang claimed to be beds on Air Temple Island and deeply preferred her veritable mountain of pillows. ‘They're better for your back,’ he always said. She pushed away a thought of Tenzin that rose unbidden in association with the island. What would he think if he knew Kya had come to her instead of coming home?

A hand on her lower back made her jump, and she twisted to see Kya smiling at her softly from within a tangle of blankets and pillows.

“You can relax, you know. I don’t bite. How often did we share a bed as kids?” 

Lin motioned for her to scoot over. The hand on her retracted, though Lin didn’t miss the fact Kya’s fingers trailed over her hip with the motion. Lin lay back next to her, feeling as if she was on fire with nervous energy. “We’re not kids anymore, Kya.” 

“Doesn’t mean you have to suddenly be afraid of me.” 

Lin turned toward her and propped herself up on one elbow. “Who said I was afraid?”

“Lin, I can feel how hard you’re shaking from here and you won’t even meet my eyes.”

Lin forced herself to look at Kya, who had the audacity to wink. Lin hoped Kya didn’t hear the way her breath hitched, and thankfully it wasn’t acknowledged. Instead, Kya brushed a loose strand of hair behind Lin’s ear, and Lin’s eyes fluttered shut at the feeling of a warm palm on her cheek. Her heart pounding in her ears, she tried to ask, “Kya, what are y—mh!”

Lin’s question was cut off by a sudden press of Kya’s lips to her own. Lin wanted to pull away, fearing not the wrongness of the act but what might happen if someone were to find out, but the stupid drunk part of her mind whispered that she was right where she wanted to be. Gray-green eyes fixed on shocking blue as they pulled back slightly before Kya snaked a hand into Lin’s hair and Lin melted back into the kiss. Kya moaned softly into her mouth, and Lin let her take control until the pit of guilt in her stomach forced her to break away.

“Lin, please,” Kya begged.

“J-just a minute,” Lin panted. She staggered to her door, breathless, turning the thick key in its lock to make sure they wouldn’t be surprised. She knew they wouldn’t be; Su was staying at a friend’s house and Toph probably wouldn’t be home for hours yet, but the added security made her vastly more at ease. Lin crawled back into bed and studied Kya with a new light in her eye. She looked surprisingly fragile somehow, which wasn’t a word Lin would ever have ascribed to the waterbender before.

“What is this, Kya?” Lin asked quietly. “This isn’t...this isn’t something we should be doing.”

“I want it,” Kya said stubbornly. “I just want to feel something.”

Lin wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Every spot Kya had touched seared with the memory of it, and the knot in her stomach was dissolving from guilt into something that felt more like desire.

“No,” she said thickly, almost regretting it but knowing it was the right choice, “You’re still high, I’ve been drinking. No.”

“Then just kiss me again.”

That was something she could do. She could tell her own lips were chapped but Kya’s were so damn soft and she moved just the right way, one hand tangled in Lin’s hair and the other around her waist. Kya nipped at Lin’s bottom lip, drawing out a gasp, and her mouth traveled lower to Lin’s jaw and down her throat, latching onto the spot that caused Lin to jerk in her arms before Lin grabbed her chin and brought her up for air.

“I said none of that.”

“Fine,” Kya pouted. Lin graced her with a rare smile, kissing her one last time before curling up against her, trapping Kya in her arms.

“Sleep. You have to be out before Su comes home in the morning.”

“All right, officer,” Kya murmured, one hand over Lin’s and the other idly playing with her hair.

…

Lin awoke in the odd gray light of pre-dawn to find the bed empty but still warm. Rolling over, she noticed light spilling from the crack under the bathroom door and presumed Kya was inside; she sat up and stretched, her eyes falling on the chair by the door to see Kya’s dress and underclothes folded neatly, completely dry. She didn’t recall taking them out of the wash, though their presence meant she must have. She couldn’t recall if that was before or after she’d kissed Kya.

That sent a jolt of fear through her. Oh, fuck. She’d kissed Kya. Her hands balled into fists as she fought to keep them from shaking.

Kya returned a moment later, closing the door and shamelessly undressing. She dropped her borrowed sleepwear into the hamper and quickly pulled her own clothing back on. Lin almost felt sick when she realized she didn’t want to look away.

“Kya, I’m—“

“Don’t apologize,” Kya interrupted. “It was just a kiss. I was high, you were drunk. You’ll beat yourself up over it if it’s anything more.”

Lin nearly protested before realizing she was right. The sense of wrongness that she’d pushed down the night before clawed its way back into her stomach and up her throat, and Kya’s face softened.

“Lin, really.” Kya grabbed her hands, pulling her up to her feet and trapping her close. “One for the road, hm?” She tilted Lin’s chin up, their lips meeting softly.

Lin let her do it, then gently pushed her to the door. “The last one. Now, get going before someone sees you.”

She sighed as the door clicked shut again and listened for the opening and closing of the house’s front door. More or less awake, she decided to scrounge up something to eat. She set a couple slices of bread in the toaster and grabbed a plate from the cabinet. Digging around in the fridge for the butter, she didn’t hear her mother approach until the chief cleared her throat behind her. Lin jumped and fumbled the plate she held, barely preventing it from shattering on the floor.

“Morning, Mom,” she said evenly, trying and failing to still her heart.

“I don’t care how great whatever sex you had last night was, but don’t be late for work.”

“Wuh, uh, we didn’t have sex.” Lin nearly slapped her forehead in realizing her stupidity. _We._ She’d gone and blown it for sure.

“I’m blind, not deaf, Lin.”

“You were home?” Lin seethed, “I thought you were still at the fucking station!”

“I was asleep,” Toph replied, irritated, “Until I heard Aang’s daughter moaning your name through the fucking wall.”

Lin was mortified. “We didn’t fuck. It was just a kiss,” she said, echoing Kya’s earlier statement with an odd pang of loss in her heart. She had the uncanny feeling that Toph was looking right through her despite not quite looking at her.

“Sounded like more than a kiss.”

“Mom! I swear to the Spirits we didn’t do anything more than that.”

“Might have helped you relax,” Toph snorted. Lin, at a loss for words, glared at the toaster when it popped and presented her with burnt toast. Toph snickered behind her coffee. “Don’t stress about it, kid. I got up to my fair share of fun when I was younger. Obviously, or you wouldn’t be standing here.”

“Mom!” Lin’s face screwed up in disgust, “I seriously do not want to know.”

Toph set her mug down, crossing her arms in mock annoyance. Or maybe it was legitimate; Lin couldn’t tell. “I’m just saying, if you’re going to play around with hearts, maybe don’t pick two children of the most powerful man in current existence.”

Not waiting for an answer, she turned on her heel and strode toward the front door.

“Mom…”

“Shift at seven thirty!”


	2. Under Your Scars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lin-centric chapter. Sorry for the Linzin, it slipped in there for the sake of trying to remember canon exists.

The gauze pad in Lin’s hand was the first she’d peeled off that came away clean. She stared at it, contemplating what it meant to her as traffic bustled by on the street past the garden; the distant sound almost seemed to invade the quiet that hung around her. The house felt grossly empty without Suyin there, and despite her lingering anger, Lin couldn’t say she wasn’t somewhat upset by it. Her mother came home even less than before, and Lin had been throwing herself into her own work much the same before being told to “take a fucking day off, damn it, just because I’m here doesn’t mean I want you running yourself ragged. I don’t want to come home to you passed out on the fucking floor again!”

She flinched at the memory before finally facing herself in the mirror. Her right cheek was marred by two diagonal lashes, still bright red and angry despite having finally healed over. The constant sting had faded to a dull ache with the passing weeks, though they still hurt with any kind of pressure or too drastic a facial movement. Katara said she was lucky to have come over when she did, or she might not have been able to save her eye. Lin picked up the little container of healing balm and began the near torturous process of dabbing it over the lines, wincing as the sting set in with every touch. Lin was privately glad she’d never been one for makeup. This hurt bad enough.

Something about the thought reminded her of Kya, and she allowed herself to recall the gentleness of the waterbender’s presence. It had been almost three years since she’d left. Lin blinked away tears as she recalled that night Kya had shown up unannounced and high and kissed her like she wanted nothing more than to do it for the rest of her life, and then up and left for Spirits knew why. The feeling of Kya curled up against her in sleep ghosted over her body. Why the fuck did she feel like this? She already knew where her life was headed: an eternity of trying to impress her mom, fitting into a mold that was already predefined. That should have been easy enough to do. Why couldn’t she just focus on that? Why couldn’t she just think of what was there in front of her, and not across the world?

A knock on her door startled her out of her thoughts.

“What?” she croaked. She heard a sharp sigh from the other side. Her mother, seemingly summoned by the mere thought of her existence.

“I know you’re upset—have been upset—Lin. I...do you want to go out for dinner?”

That’s a first, Lin thought to herself. Toph swung open the door to step inside, crossing her arms and leaning back against the wall. Lin glanced over with surprise; she wasn’t in her uniform for once, and looked far less imposing than she generally did, almost vulnerable, really. She knew that assumption was entirely incorrect, but the sentiment took root. Maybe her mother was going to apologize.

“Tsing’s?” Lin asked. Her mother cracked a smile.

“Why not. C’mon, let’s go before they get busy.”

With a bowl of piping hot ramen in front of her, Lin almost found it hard not to still be pissed at her mom.

Almost.

Toph didn’t force the conversation, but she certainly wasn’t winning any awards for keeping it going, either. Lin eventually lapsed into silence, eating mechanically, barely tasting what passed her lips.

“I had to do it,” Toph said at length. Lin glanced up. Taking her lack of response as an invitation, Toph continued, “I know you don’t agree with it. I don’t care. There are more important things to worry about. Su will be fine in Gaoling. Spirits know my parents will keep a tighter leash on her than I ever could.”

“You could’ve put us on a long leash rather than none at all,” Lin muttered. Her mother didn’t argue that response, though Lin knew she’d touched a nerve. She was dangerously close to too petty, but didn’t care. What was her mother going to do, punish her? That had never happened. “So that’s it, then? Just give up on Su and ship her off to straighten her out? Have your parents do to her what you ran away from?”

Toph exhaled slowly through her nose and bit her words back, unwilling to cause a scene in public over their current topic of contention.

“How much is the bill?” she asked through gritted teeth.

Lin slapped the yuans down on the table instead of dignifying her with an answer and went back to her meal. Toph grumbled something under her breath, her own appetite thoroughly ruined.

...

Lin moved out two months later, settling into a dingy pest-infested one-bedroom apartment on the other side of the city from her mother’s house. Tenzin tried harder than ever to get her to move into one of the empty rooms on Air Temple Island, but she staunchly refused, citing the commute to the station and his ability to visit her if it meant so much to him.

Apparently it did, because he asked her out a few days later. She accepted, unsure why she felt so conflicted about it.

The icy interactions between the chief and her daughter didn’t go unnoticed by the other officers, but none of them had the balls to ask what had happened, and neither woman was the kind to spill secrets. Lin shrugged off concern over her face, refusing to explain more than ‘equipment malfunction’ and hoping that eventually people would shut up about it. There were times she thought her mother was going to say something, anything in an attempt to repair the rift between them, but as the year wore on she saw less and less of Toph until the news broke that she was retiring.

“Mom, what the fuck?” Lin had stormed into her office against her better judgement. Toph stood with her hands behind her back, facing the window as though looking out.

“It’s ‘Chief’ when you’re on the clock, Detective. But it’s time I moved on from police work. You’ll all be fine.”

“Mom, this isn’t the point. What about-”

“What about nothing, _Detective,”_ Toph growled, emphasizing the title. “Either you have something to report or you can get out.”

“All right, Chief,” Lin spat back, “Guess keeping the city safe wasn’t your priority after all?”

“I have a duty to Republic City, but I also have a duty to my own children.” Toph slammed a hand down on her desk. “Why is that so fucking hard for you to understand, Lin? Don’t you feel the same about your family?”

“Of course I do! But-”

“What would we gain by throwing Suyin in jail? Nothing! Both you and I would be put under investigation, and RCPD would run us both out! Let Su sort her shit out. Focus on yourself for once instead of trying to act like her mother.”

“Maybe I wouldn’t have to if you ever had!”

Lin knew it was a mistake the second the words left her mouth. Toph’s lips pressed into a thin line and the metal under her hand creaked and popped.

“Get out of my fucking office.”

“Not yours for much longer.”

Lin turned on her heel and slammed the door behind her; the rattle was quickly followed by a loud bang and the sound of shattering glass, likely something being tossed across the room and breaking a window. The station was deadly quiet as she walked out.

Lin wandered mindlessly, eventually finding herself at the docks. The ferry to Air Temple Island was scheduled to leave in the next ten minutes. She flashed her badge and hopped on board, wanting just about anything to distract her from her own thoughts. The salty spray kicked up by the wind stung her lips, and she wiped her face irritably with the back of her hand, feeling more grounded with the pain. Landing on the island brought a near immediate sense of relief; the sounds of the city washed away and she was left with nothing but the sea air and the sound of air bison grumbling somewhere on the island. She wandered down to a quieter garden to sit beneath a tree, finding herself slipping into a meditative position with ease. Her breathing stilled soon after as peace fell over her.

It was only when she cracked an eye open that she discovered Aang sitting near her, his own eyes closed and a contemplative expression on his face.

“Uh.”

The Avatar opened his own eyes, smiling pleasantly at her. “Hello, Lin. I take it you’re troubled by something.”

“What gives you that impression?”

“You don’t meditate unless you’re at your absolute limit. Do you want some tea?”

“Sure.”

The pair stood and Aang led her over familiar paths into the main tower, where he bustled about with the tea, using bending like second nature to assist. Lin nearly envied the ease with which he controlled the elements despite the stupidity of the sentiment. Of course he did. He was the Avatar.

He placed a cup of tea in front of her after a few moments, and she added a spoonful of sugar as was her custom, stirring it slightly before taking a sip. It was perfect, as always.

“Mom’s retiring,” she said bluntly. If Aang was surprised, he hid it well. He merely nodded, sipping his own tea.

“She acts like it’s my fault she has to. She won’t say it but it has to do with Su and,” she gestures to her face, “this.” The scars stood out bright against her skin, no longer raw, but they attracted enough attention that sometimes she wished she still covered them with a bandage every morning.

“You don’t talk with her much at work, do you?”

“Not when we can avoid it. I yelled at her earlier. That’s why I came.”

Aang considered her for a moment. “You didn’t ask why she’s retiring?”

“I didn’t need to.”

He raised his eyebrows. Had he been anyone else, Lin would have bristled and called him out on it. Instead, she considered his unspoken implication.

“Maybe I fucked up,” she whispered.

One of his palms came up to her uninjured cheek. He ran a calloused thumb over the smooth skin, gently wiping away a tear. She hadn’t even realized she’d started crying.

“You’re the one that gets to choose if you forgive not just your mother and Suyin, but yourself. No one else can do that for you.”

Swallowing back a sob, Lin nodded. “Thank you.”

“There are people here for you, Lin,” Aang said gently, “You know you’re always welcome. Tenzin and Katara and I would love to see you more often. So would Sokka.”

“I don’t want to impose.”

“Lin, you’re part of the family whether you like it or not.”

He pulled her into a hug that she resisted for only a few seconds before her arms went around him too. Letting out a shaky breath, she asked, “Have you heard from Kya recently?”

“Oh!” Aang reached into his robes and pulled out a sealed letter. “This arrived earlier, just before I happened upon you. Would you like to read it with us?”

“I’d like that,” Lin said.

“If you’d track down Tenzin, meet us in my office.”

Tenzin was hopelessly predictable, practicing in the gates, his movements calm and precise. Lin watched him for a few moments, appreciating the hint of muscularity she could see under his robes. When he stepped out of the whirling gates, she slipped her arms around him and laid her head on his chest, savoring the warmth for a brief moment.

“Lin? What’s wrong?” He tilted her chin up to look into her eyes.

“Nothing. I just wanted to see you. Your dad got a letter from Kya and said to get you so we could all read it together.”

Tenzin pressed a kiss to her head before linking his hand with hers and leading her back to the temple. Aang and Katara were already waiting in the office, and Aang popped open the seal to read aloud the letter once Lin and Tenzin had settled onto the low couch across from his parents.

_Dear Mom, Dad, Tenzin (is Bumi there?),_

_You would not BELIEVE how beautiful this part of the Earth Kingdom is this time of year. I could honestly spend the rest of my life here if I didn’t miss you like crazy. I can see why Toph always made Lin and Su visit Gaoling every summer. It’s basically perfect. Don’t worry, I’m staying safe…_


	3. Out of Sight out of Mind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for your patience in waiting on this chapter. I received a diagnosis for a significant health issue a couple weeks ago and my entire life has been set on fire because of it; I’m trying to juggle treatment with college and day to day life, and my hobbies have been forced onto the backburner for the time being. Hopefully I should settle into a more reasonable schedule soon and be able to continue updating as regularly as possible.  
> Without further ado, Kya time, in which I force myself to not write about Lin for a whole chapter and turn it into something that lets me skip through like a decade.  
> It's not my favorite bit of writing but I'm honestly ready to get it published so I can get the story moving forward a bit more in terms of what you're all here for. >:3c

_...I met a girl, by the way. Her name is Rei, and her parents run a bakery. She’s an earthbender and wants to save up money to enroll in a metalbending academy so she can move to Republic City and support her parents. She’s extremely sweet and I’ve enjoyed getting to know her, but I’m moving on soon, so I guess I’d better rip off the bandage sooner rather than later._

_It’s a little weird hearing people mention the Avatar in passing and knowing they have no idea who I am. I kind of like the anonymity. I told Rei that I was fully Water Tribe (sorry, Dad) and moved to Republic City when I was eight just to make sure no one suspects anything. She thinks it’s cute that I want to travel the world and see everything. I didn’t really tell her that it’s more about finding myself than anything else._

_I’m heading back out to the ocean soon. I think I’m going to go south next._

_Tell everyone I say hello and that I love them!_

_-Kya_

Kya waited for the last few lines to dry before folding the letter and slipping it into the envelope, sealing it with blue wax. The proxy address she wrote to was simply another way to stay anonymous; it wouldn’t do to go to the trouble of lying about her childhood only to write directly to the Avatar every month or so. She’d post the letter tomorrow before saying goodbye to Rei and her family and moving on. She ached to feel the sea air in her lungs again. The Earth Kingdom might have been beautiful, but the call of the ocean felt stronger now more than ever. Perhaps the waxing moon was drawing her back to the water as well.

The knock on her inn room door brought a smile to her face, and she stood and stretched before striding to it and sliding it open. Rei stood in the hall, a basket on her arm and a bottle of baijiu in her hand.

“Come on in,” Kya said, taking the bottle and the basket and waving her into the room. “You didn’t need to bring anything.”

“I knew you wouldn’t have eaten,” Rei replied, “I brought dumplings. Yes, vegetarian,” she added before Kya could double check.

“Ever thoughtful.” Kya smiled, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead.

They ate over small talk, Rei asking about how the couple days she’d been exploring had been and Kya asking for any ridiculous customer stories. Soon their dishes were clean and the bottle between them was half empty, and Kya was nursing a lazy, warm feeling as Rei curled closer to her on the small couch.

“Who’d you write to?” the earthbender murmured.

“My dad,” Kya said truthfully, “he likes to know where I am and where I’m planning to go in case something happens.”

“That’s nice.” Rei glanced up at her. “So you’re leaving, then?” She pulled away.

“What?” Kya’s heart sank. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go.

“You said you told him your travel plans.”

“Oh. Well, yeah. I can’t stay here forever.”

“So it didn’t really mean much to you, did it.” She didn’t ask it as a question, and that made it all the harder for Kya to come up with a plausible response. Rei snorted at her silence, rising and collecting everything back into the basket with a bit more force than necessary. “It was nice knowing you, then, I guess.”

“Wait, I-” Kya fumbled for an answer, and the Earth Kingdom girl whirled on her.

“Don’t bother. I should have known you were only in it for an easy fuck before you got bored. At least there’s no pregnancy risk, right?”

“Rei, please.”

“Don’t come back.”

She slammed the door with finality, leaving Kya with the baijiu and not much else. Kya buried her face in her hands, groaning lowly at her stupidity.

“Damn it. Fuck. Shit.”

The bottle might have been empty by the time she fell asleep.

Morning didn’t dawn much brighter with low, dark clouds blanketing the town in the half-light of just before a storm breaks. Kya paid the innkeeper with decidedly less cheer than she’d had when arriving; mercifully, the woman made no comment, but Kya could tell she was dying to know what she’d done to upset the baker’s daughter the previous night. The waterbender hid a bitter smile at the fact that she’d never find out.

“Where to, little buddy?” Kya asked of her ostrich horse as she spurred him on out of the town, the first drops of rain beginning to fall. The creature let out a snort at her voice, seemingly annoyed at being woken so early and expected to listen to her one-sided conversation. Kya patted his neck by way of apology. She began to sing under her breath in an effort to keep herself awake, tunes she’d learned from Uncle Zuko blurring in her mouth into some she’d heard from Aunt Suki or, rarely, Toph. Thinking of the Chief made her think of Lin, and the song she was humming faltered and fell until she was silent again with only the sounds of her ostrich horse breathing and the impact of his feet on the road to mark her passage. There was an ache deep inside her chest when she thought about Lin or the way her lips had felt, chapped and unsure but oh so gentle, or the way the calluses on Lin’s fingertips had caught on her skin as her hands shook. Raindrops mingled with a tear or three before Kya sniffed the emotion back and squashed it down, unwilling to break down over a girl who’d seemingly forgotten about her after that night. Lin had acted as if Kya didn’t exist for the few months between then and Kya’s departure. The hug Lin had given her before seeing her off was stiff and forced; Kya had nearly held on until she softened, nearly forced Lin to look into her eyes and kiss her again, but there was little chance of getting through at that point and putting her on the spot would probably have ruined what little chance Kya stood of speaking to her again.

She would have been blinded by the lightning strike if the hair on her arms and the back of her neck hadn’t stood on end just before the sky split apart above her, the thunder crashing around her barely a second later. Her mount reared with a scream, sending her to the ground in a flurry of feathers. Kya fumbled for the reins and missed. The ostrich horse sprinted off, and Kya swore from her position sprawled in the mud with her saddlebags scattered around her.

“Fuck!” she yelled again at the storm, shaking a fist toward the sky as if it’d make a difference. Thoroughly soaked, Kya collected what was salvageable and glanced around warily. She was far from any town at this point, and her only chance of shelter seemed to be one of many shallow caves dotted in the cliffside on the edge of the road. The first one she came to was barely deep enough to be considered a cave, though it protected her from the worst of the rain and gave her a chance to bend most of the water from her clothing and supplies.

“Good _fucking_ job, Kya,” the waterbender muttered to herself, shaking the last drops from her fingertips. She began repacking her bags, resigning herself to making the rest of the journey to the little cove where she’d docked her boat on foot. The possibility of her boat having been stolen crossed her mind, and she gritted her teeth. She hoped it wasn’t the case, but with the way her luck had been running, she wouldn’t be surprised.

When the rain finally slowed and Kya was able to finish the drudgy, dreary trek down to the cove, she found her boat mercifully still pulled up on the beach, and she gave herself a congratulatory pat on the back for having the foresight to bring it up so far. Launching it was another matter entirely. By the time she was on a steady course, she was exhausted once more and flopped down onto the deck to catch her breath. Light clouds scudded across the sky above her and an unseasonably chilly wind threatened to ruffle her skirt up, not that it would matter with no one around for miles on the open water. Kya allowed herself to miss the comforts of a bed with another woman in it for a few moments before pushing herself up and pulling her map from its leather tube to chart a more definite course.

…

The first time Kya ran into Bumi it was in the Earth Kingdom, three years after leaving Rei behind. She almost didn’t recognize him. Her chubby, goofy older brother had become somewhat of an eye turner, if the muted conversation about the United Forces officer with the long hair meant anything. Bumi was currently regaling a gaggle of barely-drinking age boys with some story or other by the bar of the inn she was currently staying at.

“And with nothing more than a pair of chopsticks and my buddy’s left sock, I-”

“Bumi! I doubt your tall tales inspire the sort of confidence you think they do.”

“Holy shit, Kya?” Bumi’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head and a massive grin split his face. “Look at you, you’re all traveled and shit!” He slipped off his stool and swept her off her feet into a glorious bear hug. Kya laughed, embracing him back before he held her at arm’s length to look her over. “How have you been? Mom and Dad say you’ve been doing well but secondhand letters don’t really tell me a lot.”

“I’ve been great! But what are you doing here?”

“Vacation. What a coincidence, right?”

Kya scrutinized him, unsure if he was telling the truth. “Let’s talk somewhere more private.”

Bumi agreed; Kya led him up to her room, making sure the door was locked behind them. She offered Bumi a blunt; he took it after a moment of hesitation, lighting it with his own lighter and taking a drag with a satisfied expression on his face before passing it back to her.

“How are Mom and Dad?”

“Good, mostly. Busy now that Tenzin doesn’t live on the island anymore.”

Kya tilted her head. “Why not?”

“He moved in with Lin, obviously.”

 _”What?_ Why?”

Bumi’s eyes widened. “Shit, no one told you? Our little brother scored Lin. They’ve been dating for three years. He moved in about six months ago. Mom wants him to propose.”

“What the fuck,” Kya said, unsure if she was upset at Tenzin, Lin, or herself. “Wh—you know, never mind. Thanks for telling me.”

Bumi gave her a long look. “You’re upset about it.”

“I’m not.”

He reached out a finger to smooth out the little wrinkle between her eyebrows like he’d done since they were kids. 

“You’ve got angry eyebrows that beg to differ.”

“My eyebrows are perfectly happy, Bumi.”

“You can be honest, Kya.”

Kya bit her lip and looked away. Bumi watched her face for a second before grunting and gesturing for the blunt.

“Thought you thought she was too young.”

“She’s an adult.”

“You didn’t fuck her, did you?”

“No! Well, almost. We made out. I was high as fuck and she was a bit drunk. Then we just fell asleep.”

Bumi put the back of his hand across his forehead in a mock swoon. “Oh, how romantic. But also: gross. I do not need or want to know what you do in bed.”

“You asked.”

Bumi passed the blunt back. “Okay, I admit I did walk into that one.” They were quiet for a moment, each digesting the new information they’d learned from the other. “Where are you headed next?”

“Not sure yet. I kind of want to see Ba Sing Se but Dad said it wouldn’t be safe if I got outed.”

“As much as I hate to say it, listen to Dad. I don’t want to have to bust you out of prison.” Bumi grabbed the tube containing her map and waggled it. “May I?”

Kya nodded, and Bumi slipped the map out to unroll it flat on the rough wooden desk of her room. Small black dots marked towns and villages she’d visited, and her more heavily traveled waters were marked with a collection of dash marks that traced her route surprisingly accurately. Bumi whistled appreciatively at the neat notes on paper that accompanied the map.

“You’re doing a good job of keeping track.”

“Figured it’d help someone if I ever got lost.”

They pored over the map for the next half hour, laying out a travel plan for the next few weeks, and by the time Kya had jotted down the final town name, both she and Bumi were clearly fighting sleep.

“Catch you in the morning?” Bumi asked, pulling the tie out of his hair and ruffling the back into something far less neat than even a birds’ nest.

“Wouldn’t miss it.”

…

The second time Kya ran into Bumi, she was in a high-scale restaurant in the Fire Nation, dressed in something that wouldn’t look out of place in the halls of the Fire Lord himself, a giggling Izumi seated across the table from her and a surly teenage Iroh picking at his meal while trying to tune out the two women.

“Well, if it isn’t the most radiant Crown Princess in the entire Fire Nation,” Bumi said, sliding into the booth next to Kya. Iroh immediately perked up, recognizing the man’s uniform. “Oh, and my sister. Hey, Kya.”

“Bumi!” Kya threw her arms around him. “Why are you in the Fire Nation?”

“That’s _Captain_ Bumi to you.”

“Congratulations, I think,” Izumi said, flashing Bumi a cheeky smile. “So, you decided to come torment your sister all the way in the Fire Nation, and for what?”

“How could I pass up a chance snatch a few moments with a certain Princess,” Bumi said with a wink. To her credit, Izumi blushed and hid her smile behind a hand, trading a glance with Kya. Kya, meanwhile, was more focused on the utterly awed expression on Iroh’s face.

“What’s up, kiddo?”

“He’s in the United Forces,” Iroh said reverently. “They’re amazing!”

“All right kid, it’s just a job,” Bumi said, looking uncomfortable. “We don’t do much special.”

“But you’re a search and rescue master! I’ve read about you!”

Bumi floundered for a moment, unsure whether to milk the opportunity and risk Izumi’s wrath, or simply to shut the boy down and probably lose any trust Iroh had in him. Thankfully, Izumi intervened.

“Iroh, perhaps Bumi would rather talk about happier things, like the fact that this is the first time we’ve seen each other in, oh, who knows how long?”

“Too long,” Kya and Bumi echoed simultaneously, then letting out twin snorts of amusement as the other attempted to elbow them. Izumi smiled into her glass of water at the siblings.

“I think last time we were in the Fire Nation all together was to see you,” here Kya broke off and pointed at Iroh, “on your third birthday.”

Bumi stroked his beard, thinking. “Didn’t he set a tapestry of your grandmother on fire the day after with his bending, ‘Zumi?”

“His first bit of firebending, yes,” Izumi said, ruffling her son’s hair against his protests. “I wasn’t sure if Dad was upset about the tapestry or thrilled his grandson was a bender.”

“Mix of both, if I remember right,” Kya broke in, “Remember, he thought it had been an accident with a loose flame but then when he saw Mom putting out Iroh’s hands I’d never heard him more excited.”

“I don’t remember that part.”

“You were piss drunk, Bumi,” Izumi said frankly. “I’m surprised you even remembered the first part.”

“You wound me.”

As the two snarked back and forth, Kya took the opportunity to examine her brother. He’d lost a touch of muscle to pudge, but he still looked fairly good, hair still dark, though cut shorter than it had been last time she saw him. She could see a new scar creeping above the neckline of his jacket, and his beard was longer than it had been before.

“What about you, Kya? Having fun in the Fire Nation?”

“Of course,” Kya replied. “Plenty of entertainment around here. A bit too hot for my tastes, sometimes.”

“Oh, ‘Zumi and I know you don’t like the forward ones so much. You gotta make them come out, huh?”

Kya smacked his shoulder, darting her eyes over to Iroh, who appeared to be thoroughly enjoying the adults’ chatter despite confusion written over his face.

“He’s heard worse from your uncle,” Izumi said with a grimace. Bumi chuckled.

“Sounds like Uncle Sokka. So long as he doesn’t repeat it.” Bumi fixed an eye on Iroh, who rapidly shook his head.

“I’d never!”

Amid laughter, Kya repeated her initial question, “So, Bumi, why are you here?”

“Dad told me you’d be here and I was in the area. Figured I’d see if I couldn’t pop in and find you. Your, eh, handmaid?” Bumi gestured vaguely at Izumi. “She remembered me and told me you’d snuck out to lunch.”

“At least that worked out, and you can return with us,” Izumi said. “Unless you’d like something to eat?”

“No, I’m all right ‘Zumi.”

Bumi paid the bill after snatching it out of Izumi’s hand when she reached under the table for her purse and the little group set out for the palace on a winding route, attempting to preserve what anonymity they had left. The three adults chatted long into the night, Zuko joining them sometime in the evening to rib his daughter for not only sneaking out but dragging back a stray dog. He enveloped Bumi in a rare hug before leaving the three younger folk to their conversation.

…

The third and final time Kya ran into Bumi on her travels, she was drunker than a skunk bear in perhaps the singular dive bar in Zaofu, her face red and eyes swollen from crying.

“Kya, what happened?”

She was present enough to pull a necklace out of her pocket and slap it down on the bar in front of him, and he hissed a breath through his teeth, immediately recognizing its significance. He also recognized the craftsmanship as hesitant at best: no Water Tribe woman had crafted this. It must have come from her most recent partner. The fact that it was broken spoke volumes.

“Aw, Kya, I’m so fucking sorry.”

“We fought. She thought I wanted to keep traveling to—I don’t know? Fuckin’ sleep around? So I told her I wasn’t some whore, and she said maybe I was if I was willing to accept a proposal so soon, and I told her if she was jealous maybe she should examine her own morals. And then she kicked me out.”

“Spirits, Kya. Are you going to go back?”

“No, fuck that. I’m too drunk to crawl back to her and she doesn’t want me anyway. I brought my traveling gear, too.”

Bumi was silent for a moment. He’d come here with the express intention of drinking himself to oblivion, but the thought of sacrificing his current clearheadedness when Kya so obviously needed him made him sick to his stomach.

“I’ll close out your tab.”

Bumi brought her back to the hotel room he’d rented, dragging a blanket off the bed and using his coat as a pillow on the floor for the night.

It was a familiar feeling sometime after dawn when Kya was holding a bucket and Bumi was rubbing circles into her back, a glass of water waiting in his free hand for when she was ready. She gestured for it after a particularly nasty heave, and swished a mouthful of water around her mouth before spitting it out with a shudder. They knew these motions well, having gone through them many times in their youth.

“Bumi? Never let me drink like that again.”

“You got it.”

The siblings certainly made a pair as they lurched into a restaurant near noon, Bumi utterly exhausted and Kya wildly hungover. They ordered the same dish, something they both distinctly remembered as one of Toph’s quick and easy meals when they were younger and spending the night over at the Beifongs’ house. It didn’t taste remotely the same. Their eyes met at the same instant, both cracking a smile when they guessed the others’ thoughts.

“Whatever happened to those days?” Kya wondered aloud.

“Suyin snapped and Toph finally gave up for real. I guess Su’s not doing too bad for herself, though. Husband and kids and this whole-ass city.”

“You didn’t want that?”

“Oh, sure I did. Do. The wife and kids part, not the city. But I’m pushing forty and ladies like you seem to corner the market no matter where I travel.”

“Is that a hint of jealousy, Bumi?”

“No, just a statement of fact.” His grin slipped into a more serious expression. “Hey, sorry, that might have come off bad. I love you, and so does our whole family.”

“I know, dork,” Kya replied, though she couldn’t deny she was touched by his sudden regard for her feelings. “And...about last night.”

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want.”

“I do. The, uh, split actually happened a few weeks ago, but I was feeling so fucking sorry for myself. I’m glad you ended up being there. And this morning.”

“Sorta like old times.”

Kya nodded at that. “So what are your plans from here?”

“Head back to the city. Mom wants me to visit. She also keeps dropping hints that I should bully you back home if I ever run into you again, so, consider yourself warned.”

“Did she really?” Kya raised an eyebrow. “I thought she was happy that I was finally leaving the nest so she and Dad could keep focusing on Tenzin.”

Bumi shrugged and murmured an ‘I don’t know’ sound. “It’s been years since you’ve been home. And don’t give me any of that wibbly ‘the world is my home’ garbage. You have to miss Republic City at least a little.”

“I do,” Kya said. She nearly added, _and someone in it,_ but she was entirely unready to have that conversation.

“Guess you’ll head back when you don’t have a choice, huh?”

“Probably.” Kya popped the last of her meal into her mouth and took a long drink of water. “I feel remarkably better. Want to shop around the market?”

“You seem to forget I slept on the floor last night so your drunk ass could recover.”

“And walking will help you get the kinks out. Come on, I know you know I’m right.”

It was Bumi’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “Only if you promise to go home sometime soon.”

“Deal.”


	4. Telepathic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, first off, sorry for the delay. I had intended on finishing this chapter earlier this week but alas, life got in the way. Now I’m posting from a hospital bed because there is quite literally nothing better to do right now.
> 
> Thank you all for your patience with my wonky update schedule, the kudos, and for all the wonderful comments. I cherish all of them even if I don’t respond.

It was all Kya could do to remember the holidays of the previous year rather than confront the reality she was currently sitting in. The pressure of hundreds of sets of eyes on her as she gripped the podium with sweaty palms, the words on the sheet in front of her blurring as she held back tears. It would have been too much if not for the steady presence of her family behind her. Bumi laid a hand on her shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze.

“You got this,” he whispered. Kya swallowed and nodded, finally looking out over the crowd.

“Our father may have been the Avatar, but he was much more than that. He was a leader, a mentor, a father, and most importantly, a friend…”

…

The envelope Kya had picked up at the front desk of the hostel had been innocuous enough, but the fact her mother’s writing had greeted her instead of her father’s sent a chill running down her spine. The message itself had forced her to sit down lest her legs give out:

_Come home. Your father wants to see you before he passes on._

It was on the third day after Kya blew in on a raging thunderstorm that Aang passed, peacefully by all accounts, and those on the island swore a great wind passed them all by when the moment came and went. Kya had stumbled away from her parents’ room to take refuge in the stables, curling close to Appa as he napped in the heat of the afternoon. She returned to the temple only after Bumi had searched her out and settled next to her, allowing her to hug him tightly. They snuck a beer together before she was able to work up the courage to head back inside. They settled next to each other in the dining hall, across from the only other people at the table: Tenzin and...Lin. Oh.

Lin raised an eyebrow. “What?”

Kya cursed herself for saying it out loud. “Nothing. It’s good to see you.”

“More than a decade and that’s all you have to say?” Lin looked almost upset, something in her eyes sparking and reminding Kya of that one stupid fucking night, before Tenzin placed his hand over Lin’s and drew her attention away.

“Honey, can you save that conversation for later? Dad would want us to be together right now.” His tone suggested he knew Lin and Kya had some unspoken tension between them, though he said it so neutrally Kya was sure he had no idea exactly what had come between the two women. Bumi shifted uncomfortably to her right, and she recalled he’d guessed the issue some years earlier.

“I can’t believe he’s really gone,” Bumi offered into the silence. Kya murmured an agreement.

“But he’s not totally gone,” Tenzin mused. “We’ll just have to wait a few years to find the next Avatar.”

“I don’t think a little kid is going to be a replacement for Dad.” Kya said a bit more sharply than she’d intended.

“Well, of course not, but—”

It was Lin’s turn to lay a hand on Tenzin’s. “It’ll be a gift to work with the next Avatar. You can all pass your father’s teachings onto his successor.”

Kya nearly snorted. Lin spouting something that sounded as if it had come directly from her father’s mouth meant she really had spent the past decade with Tenzin.

“So what’s next?”

“A fucking headache of a funeral,” Bumi groaned.

“Unfortunately, spot on.” Lin grimaced. “And I thought my grandparents’ funerals were so much pomp and circumstance. We’ll be lucky to sleep for the next week.”

“Then you’d best get some rest now.”

The voice made the four aside from Lin jump; Katara moved into the light to settle next to Kya, who wrapped an arm around her mother.

“Where’s…”

“Safe. I can leave him for a few moments to speak with you all. Preparations will properly begin in the morning. Lin, you aren’t obligated to stay if you need to work.”

“I’m not leaving. You’re my family now, too.”

Kya unconsciously tuned out the quiet chatter of the other three to scrutinize Lin. Had she and Tenzin gotten married and forgotten to invite her? Or had she just missed the invitation? The scars on her face and a slight change in the shape of her figure were all that really stood out to Kya; she hadn’t changed much since Kya had left, and Kya found herself admiring her friend in a less than platonic sense once more. 

“Kya!”

“Huh?” Kya jumped and realized the whole table was staring at her.

“I asked if you’d be willing to speak first,” Katara said.

“Oh. Yes. Yeah, I’ll write something,” Kya replied, feeling her face heat in embarrassment. Damn! She caught Lin looking at her strangely, and decided to nip it all in the bud right then and there.

“I’m going to call it a night. Mom, I’ll be up early to help?”

“Thank you, dear.”

Kya’s bed felt too cold as she lay there in a simple shift, trying and failing to fall asleep. Memories of her friendship with Lin prevented slumber from claiming her, and she found herself reminiscing about unsure hands and soft sounds until with a sigh, she heaved herself back to her feet and threw on her dress from the previous day to wander the halls. She ended up in her father’s office, sitting at his desk and toying with a pair of marbles he’d loved so much as a parlor trick. These weren’t the original, she knew; these, one metal and one stone, had been given to him by Lin and Suyin for his birthday many years ago when Lin had been learning to metalbend and Su had begun earthbending. He’d carried them for years, bragging about his pseudo-nieces whenever he had the chance. The spheres were were hard against her palm, and Kya numbly, morbidly, couldn’t stop the thought that they were just as cold and lifeless as her father now. She choked out a sob, unable to hold everything back once again, burying her face in her arms and finally allowing herself to cry.

A hand on her shoulder shook her awake at some disgustingly late and early hour, and Kya nearly slapped it away in disgust before she recognized the voice speaking to her.

“How long have you been here?”

“Lin?” she croaked, clutching the marbles tighter.

“Yes, Kya. Why are you in here?” Lin’s hand rubbed what she intended to be a comforting circle on Kya’s back, but the waterbender shrugged her off.

“I could ask you the same,” she said coolly. Lin retracted her hand, face falling.

“I couldn’t sleep and saw the door cracked. I was going to pull it closed but I saw you in here. Sorry for fucking wondering if you were all right.” She started toward the door, throwing her hands up in defeat.

“What, so that’s it? A decade of zero contact, and suddenly you’re worried about me?” Kya spat. This was unfair, she screamed at herself, but the words had already left her mouth. Lin whipped back around.

“Maybe if you’d actually given me a reason to think you wanted me to care back then, I would have. But you were gone doing what you did to me to other women and now you show up for your own dad’s funeral and start making fucking eyes at me in front of my boyfriend? What the fuck, Kya.” The more Lin spoke, the more she knew it was a mistake, but everything bottled up kept spilling out. “I thought for years that that night actually meant something, that you actually felt something, but I was just another Spirits-damned stepping stone for you to go and ‘find yourself’ and I was left like some starry-eyed idiot pining after you for three years. I thought you’d come back and tell me leaving was a mistake and that you really did want whatever that was that happened, but without the drugs or the alcohol. But there was nothing.”

“Lin, I,” Kya began. Lin cut her off with a sharp sound.

“Don’t start. I said yes to Tenzin because you weren’t here. You don’t even know what happened, do you?” She pointed to the scarred side of her face, and Kya could only shake her head in stunned silence. “It’s why Suyin left. It’s why Mom left. It’s why the only fucking person who’s been here for me for the past ten years has been Tenzin.”

“I left because I couldn’t bear the thought of staying and making you hurt more,” Kya blurted out when Lin paused to draw breath. Lin gestured for her to continue, the motion sharp. Kya felt the stone in her hand twitch at the motion, and she gripped it tighter. “I thought you’d hate me after that. You barely talked to me before I left. I thought you wanted me to leave.” Kya stood, the chair scraping across the floor with a harsh sound. “You never showed me you wanted anything but my silence on it.”

“How could I? You ran away before I could figure it out myself.”

“So, what? Did you? You feel something? You don’t? Tell me what you want, Lin.”

Lin’s knuckles had gone white by this point, and her voice was barely pitched low enough to not be considered yelling.

“I thought I knew what I wanted, and then you yanked the fucking rug out from under my feet. Now I don’t even know. It was easy to just be with Tenzin since everyone else seemed to think it’d work out.”

“What, so you’ve been using my little brother as a cop out because you’re confused about yourself?” Kya knew she was too loud, and didn’t care. Lin fired back, abandoning all pretenses of privacy.

“Fuck, Kya, don’t bring him into this like that!”

“Seems significant enough that I should if you’re only dating Tenzin because you apparently can’t have me!”

Lin scoffed, searching for a rebuke she didn’t have. Kya ignored the terrible feeling in her gut over sinking that low, and instead held up the marbles in her hand.

“For you.” Throwing them at Lin might have been cathartic had Lin not been able to bend them into her hand with ease. She looked at the marbles with hollow eyes, remembering their origin just as surely as Kya had.

“Why?” she asked simply.

“Why not? Dad won’t be needing them.”

“Kya, that’s not-”

A third voice broke in, bleary with exhaustion and grief. “Lin? Kya? It’s three in the morning. Why are you in here?”

The shift in Lin’s demeanor was instant; Kya had to stop herself from gawking as the woman who’d seemingly been on the verge of ripping her in half just minutes ago transformed completely into a model girlfriend.

“Why’re you up?” she asked, leaning into his side. He fitted an arm around her shoulder with a natural ease.

“I heard shouting and you had gone. I was worried.”

“Don’t worry about it, Tenzin,” Kya said. Lin shot her a look at the clipped tone she’d used. Kya challenged her with her eyes. _Say something. I dare you._ Lin shook her head lightly. Tenzin glanced between the two women, half-understanding again that something had occurred, but they hadn’t yet given enough away for him to put the pieces together. He bid Kya a good night and steered Lin away. Kya wasn’t sure if the final flash of Lin’s eyes burning into hers was intentional; it left her aching again, and when she was roused some few hours later by her mother knocking on her door, the melancholy hadn’t yet left.

…

When Bumi approached her with two glasses in hand, Kya held out a hand expectantly. “That had better be something strong.”

“You know it,” he said, passing one over. “Uncle Sokka snuck it to me. If Mom asks, it’s water.”

“Spirits, I feel like a teenager again.”

Bumi dropped into the chair next to her, both content to observe the crowd and say their thanks when anyone approached them with kind words.

“Well, aren’t you two a sight for sore eyes?” The voice had come from behind them, and despite the shocking white taking over her hair and unusually composed appearance, they recognized Toph instantly. “Gimme the flask, Bumi.”

“How can I say no to my favorite aunt?” Bumi pressed the flask into her hand, and Toph took a swig. She nodded in appreciation, passing it back. The container disappeared back into Bumi’s coat as if it had never been out.

“I had a feeling Sokka would come through on that. You two holding up?”

Kya waved her hand in a so-so motion for Suyin’s benefit, as the younger Beifong had sidled up to join the conversation while they had been occupied with sneaking a drink. “We’re all right, I think. Hi, Su. It’s been too long.” Kya pulled her into a one-armed hug, which Su returned.

“Wish we’d seen each other under better circumstances,” Suyin replied. She let out a quiet grunt as something collided with the back of her legs. Toph snorted and bent down to scoop up the toddler.

“Watch out, little wolfbat,” she teased, “Your mother is more blind than me!”

“What on earth is that?” Bumi asked bluntly. Kya slapped his arm, and he had the gall to look offended.

“Bumi, you’re the one who told me she had a kid.”

“Two, actually.” Su looked fondly across the room and Kya followed her line of sight to a man in perhaps his early thirties cradling a nearly-napping boy while speaking to another guest. “For now we have Junior and Huan, but I’d love to have a little girl or two to round things out. Baatar and I would love a large family.”

“I told her she was crazy for wanting more, for the record,” Toph said. Su sighed and rolled her eyes while Bumi and Kya chuckled. “I’m going to run out of nicknames.” Toph added petulantly.

“Oh, I doubt that,” Kya said.

Toph handed off Junior when he began to fuss, and Suyin bid Bumi and Kya a goodbye before she went to join her husband. Toph sank into her own chair with a heavy sigh, picking at one of her fingers with a despondent look. The three sat in a companionable yet subdued silence for some moments, as if breaking it would upset more than they bargained for. It was the unmistakable swishing of Tenzin’s robes that broke the three out of their near-stupor, and Kya glanced up to see Lin once again firmly attached to her brother’s arm.

“Toph, it’s so good to see you again,” he said, pulling out a chair for Lin. Lin’s expression was unreadable, but Toph jerked and tilted her head toward her older daughter rather than dignify Tenzin with a response. Something unspoken passed between the two Beifongs before Lin crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair with a huff, pointedly looking anywhere but her mother.

“Lin, don’t give me that attitude. Spirits, you’re worse than Su when she was a teenager.”

“I fail to see how I could possibly be-”

“Okay,” Bumi broke in, setting his glass down with a sharp crack. “Let’s not do this here.”

Toph waved a dismissive hand, and Lin growled, but it was better than them being at each other’s throats. Kya had always thought of Lin as a cat in their youth, but Toph was something decidedly more stubborn and deadly. She recalled Sokka’s story about the saber-toothed moose lion, and it seemed an apt comparison.

“So, the next Avatar will be a waterbender,” Tenzin said, trying to ease the group into a conversation. “That’s exciting! Hopefully they’ll be from the Southern Water Tribe, wouldn’t that be delightful?”

“It would make Mom happy,” Bumi replied.

Toph smiled. “Having Twinkletoes close to her would be best.”

“Imagine him knowing you’re still calling him that,” Kya said. That got a laugh out of those around the table, even Lin, and when Kya caught her eye, she didn’t seem like she was still too terribly upset about their argument. They had barely spoken all week, only exchanging professional chatter about the logistics of the funeral and reception. Kya let the conversation flow without her, instead resuming her self-appointed task of people watching. She appreciated Suyin’s concerted effort to avoid making her presence known to Lin, steering her oldest son away any time he attempted to toddle back over to his grandmother. Baatar seemed content to hold the sleeping younger boy, and a part of Kya felt the strangest twinge of jealousy in the way he looked at Su. Maybe, as stupid as it was, she envied the ease with which he was able to love her, the way she wasn’t able to love her own Beifong of choice.

“How long will you and Suyin be in the city?” Bumi asked, and Kya barely had time to tune back in before Lin’s head whipped around, immediately locking eyes on her sister, who was in the midst of switching Huan to her own arms to give Baatar a break. If Suyin noticed her staring, she didn’t give any acknowledgement, her full attention on her son. Toph shifted in her seat, the motion causing the floor beneath Lin’s feet to swell briefly before settling back out. Lin dragged her attention back, though her expression and mood had soured even further.

“We’re leaving in the morning,” Toph replied, words obviously meant more for Lin than anyone else, “Su doesn’t like taking the boys out of Zaofu for too long.”

Lin grumbled something incomprehensible. Tenzin opened a hand and she took it, seeming to find some comfort in it. He whispered something into her ear and she nodded.

“We’re going to let you all be. Bumi, Kya, we’ll see you for dinner. Toph, are you staying?”

“No, I’ll be leaving with Suyin. Apparently some feathers are still ruffled.”

Toph waited until the couple were far enough away before leaning in conspiratorially to the remaining siblings. “I didn’t want to say anything with Lin here because she’d be sore over it, but Suyin’s pregnant again and wants to be home because of it.”

“What, really?” Kya craned her neck to try to pick her out of the crowd again, and failing that, turned back to Toph. “She didn’t seem like it.”

“Still a fairly new development.”

“Well, give her our congratulations,” Kya said. Toph nodded.

“And,” Toph paused, searching for the right words, “I’m not one for anything sappy or heartfelt or whatever, and you’ve probably heard this too many times over the past week, but your father truly was an incredible man. I’m grateful to have been one of his friends and to have grown up alongside him. He was unbelievably proud of you kids. Don’t ever doubt that.”

“Thank you, Toph.” The chief tolerated a hug from both Kya and Bumi before moving off through the now-thinning crowd; it seemed as if many were taking notice of the time and taking their leave. 

Once she’d settled down for dinner, Kya finally realized her utter exhaustion and propped her head up with her elbows on the table, earning a glance from Katara, though she didn’t comment. No one had a particularly large appetite after grazing during the reception, but Sokka’s arrival after overseeing the last ferry leaving the island brightened the mood somewhat. When Toph slunk in behind him (at his insistence; he hadn’t let her leave with Baatar and Su, but promised he’d personally drive her back to the city so she could leave with them), Lin simply got up and left. Tenzin excused himself apologetically to go after her, and neither reappeared. Kya took the opportunity to catch up with Izumi, as she had missed the chance to do so during the reception. It was well past midnight when the gathering finally dispersed, and Kya found herself falling asleep nearly the instant she fell into bed.

…

Tenzin caught Lin’s hand some ways up the hallway out of the dining hall; she could move fast when she wanted, and she wanted nothing more than to be far, far away from her mother and the memories her presence dredged up.

“Lin, you can’t keep just running away from your family like this.”

“I can do whatever the fuck I want with regards to my family.” Lin pulled her hand free and continued stalking up the hallway. Tenzin walked a few paces behind her.

“This is no better than it was a decade ago. You have to talk to them properly again sometime.”

“I talked to Mom this afternoon, didn’t I?”

“You know what I mean.” Tenzin rolled his eyes in frustration. “Why are you trying so hard to avoid everything? You’ve also been treating Kya badly. Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

“What’s between Kya and I isn’t any of your business,” Lin snapped.

“Then why was she yelling my name the other night when you two were in Dad’s office?”

Lin stopped walking to fish for an answer, unable to find one that would satisfy Tenzin and keep her secret safe.

“It doesn’t matter,” she finally said.

“I think it does.” Tenzin tried reaching out to her again, and she shrugged out of his reach.

“Just stop, Tenzin. I’m not in the fucking mood.”

He backed away. “All right. Do you want me to come to bed?”

“Whatever you want.”

Held in his arms, it was a long time before Lin finally succumbed to sleep.

…

“I think that’s a fantastic idea, Mom.”

Katara sighed in relief at Kya’s response to her idea.

“With your uncle having retired, and now that...you know.”

“Of course, Mom. And I miss the South too. I always loved stopping in while I was traveling. It’ll be nice to finally slow down and relax.”

“Then I’ll call Sokka and have him start setting things up.”

“Sounds perfect.” Kya smiled and drew her mother into a hug. “I really do think it’ll be a good change.”

The temple felt empty with so many of the family gone again; Zuko’s family and the Beifongs save Lin had left the day after the funeral, unable to stay longer for various reasons, and Sokka had left a few days later. Bumi had shipped back out only a few hours previously, and Tenzin had thought it prudent for him and Lin to spend a few nights at her apartment rather than remain in the temple. Kya appreciated the space, but knew that it had come at a price. There was no way Tenzin didn’t know something was wrong between her and Lin now. Had Lin told him? Would she dare tell him? Tenzin was as supportive as the rest of the family, but Kya had no doubt he’d be more than a touch upset if Lin suddenly dumped something as significant as, _“By the way, I was sort of in love with your sister when you asked me out and that’s why we’re stuck in this relationship,”_ on him.

Kya once again found herself seated at her father’s desk, though this time instead of weakly sobbing on it, she was in the midst of penning yet another brief note of thanks to some foreign dignitary she’d met at the reception and remembered next to nothing about. Her concentration was broken by a cup of tea sliding across the desk toward her, propelled not by a hand but by bending. She looked up to find Lin standing there, hands clasped behind her back as if she’d been summoned into the office by a superior.

“What’s this?”

“A peace offering,” Lin said, “I’ve had some time to think, and I want to apologize. I took out my anger at myself on you. It was inappropriate and you don’t deserve to be treated like that, and I am so, so sorry.”

“Lin,” Kya interrupted, face softening, “we don’t have to do this.”

“Yes, we do. I used my own hurt to invalidate yours and I shouldn’t have. I won’t ever again. I don’t want to leave things between us the way they are right now.”

Kya found herself on her feet and on the other side of the desk before she realized what she was doing, pulling Lin into a hug that the younger woman returned gratefully.

“You know I don’t hate you, right, Lin?”

Lin let out a broken laugh that might have bordered on a sob. “Yeah,” she said roughly, “I know. I couldn’t ever hate you, either. But what do I need to do to make that clear?”

Kya thought for a moment. This didn’t sound like Tenzin; this was all Lin. Maybe she hadn’t told him anything. “Talk to me,” Kya said finally. “I don’t even know what you know or think of me anymore.”

“I think I can manage that.”

…

“Keep an eye on him, will you, Lin?” Kya threw a wink at Tenzin before wrapping Lin in a brief hug. “He’s always been a bit of a lost turtleduck without Mom and Dad around.”

“I am not,” Tenzin groused, to which the three women on the dock laughed. Katara moved forward to say her goodbyes, and Lin pulled Kya aside.

“Hey, I just wanted to say thank you. For giving me another chance,” she said, “Keep in touch, will you? I’d enjoy it if you wrote once in a while. And I’ll write back, of course.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Kya said with a wink.

“Of course you will.” Lin rolled her eyes.

Tenzin and Lin watched until the ship bound for the South Pole was just a speck on the horizon, each having a vastly different reason for the melancholy that fell over them when the ship finally slipped out of sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Theoretically you could consider [The year after](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27171886/chapters/66362902) as a bridge/companion piece between this chapter and the next, if you’d like to give that a read!


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